UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CHORALE

• Barlow Bradford: Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun

“[the University of Washington Chorale] sing a varied programme with sweet urgency. The performances are never less than earnest... the wonderful diversity of the repertoire is in itself exhilarating, with many unexpected discoveries... The opening sweep of sound begins with Holst’s Hymn to the Waters, ushered in by Sophie Baird-Daniel’s Technicolor harp... All the way through there are special moments.”

Laurence Vittes, Gramophone [March 2018]

“the choir enjoyed the more contemporary pieces the most, not surprisingly especially the American ones, and gave them a strong and memorable character... I love the energy the choir put into [the Soila Soriola] piece... Another highlight is Richard Bjella’s clever and atmospheric arrangement of an Appalachian melody ‘Idumea’... Its like nothing else you will ever quite come across. Also quite original and memorable is Libby Larson’s Comin’ to Town... Instrumental participation is occasional but effective. For example the percussion improvised, Karl Jenkyns-like, and in a Brazilian style by Miriam Anderson in the Salve Regina by Lars Jansson is a joy... I have found this to be an enjoyable and uniquely programmed disc with several pieces I would like to track down and put on myself. The choir are enthusiastic and have several good quality soloists... the disc is worth searching out.”

Gary Higginson, MusicWeb International [February 2018]

“an overall pleasantness of the singing and direction... One must admire in particular the wide variety of languages sung—Latin, Mandarin Chinese, French, Swedish, and Finnish.

Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare [January/February 2018]

“High points include the Rist, Bradford, and Larson pieces and a spirited rendition of the chorus from Oklahoma. There are some excellent solos including fine fiddle playing and an astonishing “Appalachain style” voice in the Sacred Harp selection, an improvised percussion part in the Jansson, and an excellent piano accompanist... Dynamics, pitch, and ensemble are generally excellent and the students do sing with enthusiasm.”

Delcamp, American Record Guide [January/February 2018]

“The warmly attractive blended sounds of the members of the University of Washington Chorale, for example, are the primary attraction on a new MSR Classics release... The CD is really a showcase for the chorus’ sound, which is smooth and well-blended throughout, with conductor Giselle Wyers keeping everything nicely together and being sure the different choral sections are well-balanced... finely honed choral work.”

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [December 2017]

Resonant Streams – Choral Music from Sun to Sea, the University of Washington Chorale’s third album, offers a selection of favorite recordings made by the ensemble from 2014 to 2016. A rich diversity of periods, styles and languages invite the listener to explore many aspects of the human experience, including maternal, spiritual and romantic love, nature themes, the resilience of the human spirit, and the joys of discovering one’s identity through song. It is University of Washington Chorale’s deepest wish that the music offered in this album will inspire all “singers of life” to discover—and celebrate—life’s many paths, from sun to sea. [Giselle Wyers, June 2017]

The University of Washington Chorale is an advanced undergraduate ensemble containing students from all majors across the Seattle campus. The award-winning University Chorale has enjoyed high profile performances for the President of Latvia as well as the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. The chorus has toured repeatedly to the Baltics with the University of Washington Chamber Singers, most recently for the 2013 Latvian Song and Dance Festival as one of the only invited American choirs. The ensemble made their Carnegie Hall debut in April 2017 as part of a tour of New York and New Jersey. The University of Washington Chorale has collaborated in performances with the Seattle Symphony Pops, Seattle Symphony Link-Up educational program, It Gets Better national touring company, Sapience Dance Collective and with National Medalist of the Arts Ann Hamilton and British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. The Chorale’s 2008 performance with the Seattle Symphony of The Genesis Suite, which features works by Castelnuevo-Tedesco, Milhaud, Schoenberg, Shilkret, Stravinsky, Tansman and Toch, was termed “brilliant” by the Seattle Times; they have continued to perform annual sold-out shows with the Seattle Symphony Pops under the direction of Stuart Chafetz and Steven Reinecke. The ensemble sang the Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin under the direction of Murry Sidlin in June 2017. Successful in recording, their debut CD, Climb, won third prize in the collegiate division of the American Prize for Choral Performance in 2012, and their CD Refuge placed in the 2015 American Prize finals. [ University of Washington Choral Program ]

Giselle Wyers is the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Associate Professor of Choral Music at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she conducts University of Washington Chorale and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting and music education. As a guest conductor, Wyershas led high school honor choirs and All-State choruses in Georgia, Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and in New York at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. She has also appeared in Vancouver, Canada. Wyers has conducted semi-professional ensembles across the United States and in Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia and Sweden. A leading national figure in the application of Laban movement theory for conductors, she has served as guest lecturer in conducting at Eastman School of Music, Ithaca College, Westminster Choir College, University of Iowa, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Portland State University. Wyers’ dedication to exposing audiences to the music of contemporary American composers has led to publications of feature articles in various national journals. She is especially interested in exploring how modern composers use music to explore issues related to social justice, peace-making, and environmental concerns. Her professional vocal ensemble Solaris focuses on the performance of contemporary American choral literature, and released a highly acclaimed CD, Floodsongs (Albany Records). Herself a gifted composer, Wyers has a sizeable catalog of choral music published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company in their Giselle Wyers Choral Series. The works are widely performed across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Cuba. Wyers is currently composing several new pieces, including a 30-minute choral cycle commissioned by the Vashon Island Chorale of Washington State. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) | Text: Rig Veda (Hindu epic)
HYMN TO THE WATERS

Guillaume Bouzignac (c.1587-1643) | Text: Song of Solomon
SURGE, AMICA MEA

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) | Text: Matthew: 26
TUNC RESPEXIT from La Reniement de St Pierre

Chinese folk song [Arr. Criddle]
GAO SHAN QING

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) | Text: Consors Paterni Luminis [Adapted: J. Racine]
CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE

Giselle Wyers | Text: Lawrence Ferlinghetti
AND LOVE BE WRITTEN ON RUNNING WATER

Sacred Harp hymn [Arr. Bjella]
IDUMEA

Joshua Rist | Text: William Earnest Henley
INVICTUS

Barlow Bradford | Text: Walt Whitman
GIVE ME THE SPLENDID, SILENT SUN

Chinese folk song [Arr. Hyo-Won]
MO LI HUA

Swedish folk song [Arr. Ericksson]
KRISTALLEN DEN FINA

Lars Jansson (b.1951) [Arr. Ericksson] | Text: Salve Regina
SALVE REGINA for the Mothers of Brazil

Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006) | Text: Song of Solomon
AWAKE O NORTH WIND from Wedding Cantata

Libby Larsen (b. 1950) | Text: Robert Carr
COMIN’ TO TOWN from The Settling Years

Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) | Text: Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960)
OKLAHOMA! from Oklahoma

Soila Sariola | Text: Kalevala
NOUSE LAULUNI
 



MSR Classics